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Girls Season 2, Episode 2 Post Mortem

This blog is for people who are watching Season 2 of Girls, which obvs means MEGA SPOILERS abound.

A little late this week I’m afraid, folks, as I only just caught up with episode 2. I’m back, thanks to those of you who messaged and tweeted saying that we should continue blogging the show (as well as some pretty healthy hits, duh). After last week’s episode I was dying to know what was going to happen, especially Shoshanna and Ray, so without further ado:

- Elijah gets unceremoniously dumped

Sleeping with a woman and maybe being bi is a big no-no as far as George is concerned. You can sort of see his point when he says: ‘I spent so much time being confused, and I’m not anymore, so I don’t want to be with someone who’s confused or bi’ Although it might seem like he has problems with Elijah possibly being bisexual, it’s more about the infidelity, and you get the impression that really, George needs a certain level of commitment that 25 year old Elijah just can’t give. There’s also no way he’s telling Hannah about his and Marnie’s little moment of weakness. When he says (of Hannah): ‘she has thin skin, like a baby’, you can sort of see that he does really care about her beneath all the bitchy campery. Likewise when they’re lying in bed watching Adam’s creepy video.

- Jessa gets some puppies

…and they’re called ‘Garbage’, ‘fucker’, and ‘Hannukah’.

It was good to see some more of Jessa in this episode and despite Thomas John being a complete buffoon, I really want them to work but I can’t help but get the feeling they might be doomed. Time will tell.

I loved Jessa’s line about all you need for a relationship: ‘all that matters is that your rising signs are compatible, that the sex is at least decent, and that he supports you creatively.’ A clue that her marriage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Surely you can demand more than ‘decent’ sex?

- Hannah dumps Sandy

The only black character in the show makes what we assume is a swift exit after Hannah questions his Republican beliefs. What’s particularly great about this scene is that, while Sandy comes across as steadfast, sure of himself, and chilled (despite what we can assume are some pretty abhorrent beliefs- pro-death penalty, anti gay marriage etc), Hannah is the one that comes across as ignorant and hysterical. In this episode she’s pretty much a caricature of an unbearable liberal whose views are influenced solely by the people with whom she surrounds herself (Elijah), and that’s why the argument makes for such cringey viewing, especially the bit where she says, ‘I don’t think of you as being black’, and he’s just like, ‘that’s INSANE. You should. Because I am.’ Oh, and that part when she quotes the Missy Elliott lyric. I almost died and wanted to crawl into a hole watching it. She’s falling over herself not to offend but in the process ends up looking like an idiot. As Jessa says: ‘read a newspaper. Just one newspaper.’

But we all know that Hannah isn’t really dumping Sandy because of her political beliefs (shallow at best) at all, but because he doesn’t like her writing (‘Ultimately it felt like just waiting in line and all the nonsense that goes through your brain when you’re trying to kill time’, he says. While it is something of a harsh comment, you can’t help but think that maybe he has a point when you recall all the ‘voice of a generation’ stuff in the last series.) So her pretending that it’s about ‘solidarity with gays and women’ is such a lame excuse and Elijah and Marnie know it.

- Marnie gets a ‘slutty’ job

Lena Dunham’s mum makes a cameo appearance as a gallery owner who tells Marnie she’s not cut out to be in the art world. So Shoshana and Ray (in bed, clearly in love, and engaging in some pretty awesome pillow talk) tell her to get a ‘pretty person job’, which she duly does. Cue more faux-liberalising from Hannah. I particularly liked the part where she starts off being snobbish about Marnie’s hostess job and ends up offended that Marnie thinks she wouldn’t be cut out for it anyway. It’s like Hannah thinks ‘I can slut-shame you all I want but don’t you DARE say I’m not pretty enough to do that kind of job.’ A rather accurate depiction of a certain type of bitchiness, I thought.

- Adam gets creepy

And when I say ‘creepy’, I mean CREEPY. Turning up at her apartment in the dark, possibly being a murderer (and not in a sexy way), wearing scary masks and jumping out on her. No wonder Hannah tries to call 911, then bottles is, probably because a small voice in the back of her head is telling her to stop being ridiculous. But is she really being ridiculous? I personally don’t think so. But the way she behaves when the police turn up is pathetic (‘I can’t believe you guys come every time someone calls’) and in fact, I think this is the episode where we’ve seen her at her least likeable. Why back down in front of the police? It’s OK to admit that you felt scared – anyone else would too. Now that Adam’s been arrested have we seen the last of him? I sort of hope so, because I never liked him, but I have a feeling he’ll still be a regular character.

Notes

- Elijah calling Hannah his ‘sad limp little glowworm’ was a highlight for me. What WAS that suit that she was wearing and where can I get one?

- I also loved the exercise video bit. I always wondered how I might look while doing YouTube Zumba in my bedroom, and now I know.

- How bad is Adam’s music? Not quite as bad as Thomas John’s fedora, but still pretty bad.

- Elijah’s passive aggressive anti-Republicanism in the bathroom was amazing. George is still on hotmail? lol.

Quotes

- ‘You look like a slutty Von Trapp child’ – Elijah

-’I’m personally not attracted to you at all because I know you, but I can respect and recognise’ – Ray to Marnie

12 thoughts on “Girls Season 2, Episode 2 Post Mortem”

I guess I’m the only one who actually likes Adam. I feel sorry for him, Hannah was teasing and taunting him by going round to his place to help him. If she really doesn’t want him then she would not have helped him, making him think that he still has a chance. She was really happy with him, and I think that she loved him, and she was terrified by that. She is insecure. She chickened out. Adam doesn’t deserve to be treated this way! He’s not crazy, he’s in love… And I can’t actually believe that phoned the police. Wtf.

I was totally freaked out by the end of that episode with Adam, it made me totally uncomfortable and all I kept thinking was ‘god, how many women have been raped after being too afraid to call the police in an exact replica of this situation?’

Sandy comes across as steadfast, sure of himself, and chilled (despite what we can assume are some pretty abhorrent beliefs- pro-death penalty, anti gay marriage etc)

Actually, not all republicans are against gay marriage and for the death penalty. That’s such a generalization on Hannah’s part, and I’m pretty sure that was why Sandy was so fed up. I’m not Republican, but one should realize that they’re not all the same, just like not all Democrats are the same. Some Democrats are anti gay marriage and pro-death penalty. Since neither of Sandy’s preferences are specified, to Hannah or the audience, its simply a stereotype that you should really stay away from.

Wait, she was ‘teasing and taunting him’ by helping him when injured because he has nobody else? She made him think that he still had a chance by helping, despite the myriad times that she TOLD him that he didn’t have a chance? He just refused to acknowledge what the words coming out of her mouth because he didn’t like them?